Wooden iPhone cases are usually pretty expensive; the low price helped Basecase's Woodworks for iPhone 5 ($40) catch our attention. Available in bamboo or mahogany, the slider-style case is all wood, save for a soft inner lining to protect your phone. While it's not perfect, it's a very good option and priced right for users who like cases made from these materials.

Woodworks splits along a horizontal axis, separating into two pieces. The top half is a little taller than the bottom, and the bottom has a wooden clip that snaps into the top, to firmly hold them together. Put together, the case covers most of the iPhone 5 without issue, and has a lip around the screen. Unlike competitors such as Grove’s Bamboo Case, this case doesn’t offer any button coverage. The openings along the bottom edge are also quite tight, with one each for the speaker, Lightning port, microphone, and headphone port. Apple’s tiniest Lightning and 3.5mm plugs will fit in, but others may have difficulty. Thankfully you can slide off the bottom if any there are issues with any accessories.

This wooden case is about as simple as they come, and that’s a good thing—more expensive cases made from similar materials often encounter difficulties that undermine their value. While we’d have been pleased if Basecase had found a way to incorporate button coverage, Woodworks is still quite protective. And it’s attractive, too: for the $40 price, you simply can’t find another wooden case of this quality. If you like the material enough to wrap it around your iPhone, you’ll be pleased by what Woodworks has to offer.

Editors' Note: iLounge only reviews products in "final" form, but many companies now change their offerings - sometimes several times - after our reviews have been published.
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